4.  The applicant was born in 1962 and lives in Staryy Oskol, Belgorod Region.
5.  In 1986 the applicant was engaged in emergency operations at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster. The applicant’s entitlement to certain State benefits is linked to the category of disability assigned to him as a result of the deterioration in his health arising from that event.
6.  In 1999 the applicant applied for free accommodation from the State. His housing conditions were recognised as substandard and he was placed on a waiting list.
7.  In 2001 the applicant brought proceedings against the Belgorod Regional Administration, contesting its failure to make accommodation available to him within three months of placing him on a waiting list.
8.  On 10 December 2001 the Starooskolskiy Town Court of the Belgorod Region ruled in the applicant’s favour. It referred to the Law On Social Protection of Citizens Exposed to Radiation as a Result of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station Explosion, noted that the applicant's accommodation was substandard and ordered the Belgorod Regional Administration to provide the applicant with a flat “in accordance with the applicable standard conditions and with the order of precedence on the waiting list”. This judgment was not appealed against, and enforcement proceedings were instituted on 6 February 2002.
9.  On 28 June 2002 the bailiffs’ service informed the applicant about a lack of progress in the enforcement proceedings, due to an insufficient number of flats allocated to the waiting list. It advised the applicant to apply to the Starooskolskiy Town Court for replacement of the in‑kind award, conferred by the judgment of 10 December 2001, with an equivalent amount of money.
10.  On 9 October 2002 the bailiffs’ service informed the applicant that it had sought instructions from the Starooskolskiy Town Court concerning enforcement of the judgment of 10 December 2001. In particular, it asked that a time-limit be imposed, within which the authorities were to provide the applicant with a flat.
11.  On 2 December 2002 the Oktyabrskiy District Court of Belgorod examined the applicant’s complaint about the failure of the bailiffs’ service to enforce the judgment of 10 December 2001. It found no fault on the part of the service because the judgment had not included a time-limit for enforcement.
12.  On 31 July 2003 the Presidium of the Belgorod Regional Court conducted supervisory review of the judgment of 10 December 2001. It held that the statutory time-limit of three months was applicable and not amenable to further extensions. It removed the condition that the flat was to be provided in accordance with the order of precedence on the waiting list and upheld the remainder of the judgment.
13.   The applicant was still waiting for accommodation in March 2004.
14.  According to the applicant, on 5 March 2004 a group of five people, including the applicant, began a hunger strike to protest against the poor level of welfare protection provided for the Chernobyl victims. The mayor of Staryy Oskol launched a public call for donations in support of the protestors and collected the amount necessary to provide all of them with housing. The applicant submitted a statement signed by four other protesters in support of his version of events.
15.  According to the Government, on 2 July 2004 the mayor of Staryy Oskol decided, pursuant to the judgment of 10 December 2001, to provide the applicant with a flat measuring 86.39 m², valued at 834,960 Russian roubles.
16.  On 8 July 2004 the applicant received from the mayor an occupancy voucher in respect of the flat assigned to him. He found the flat satisfactory.
17.  No decision appears to have been taken as to the pending enforcement proceedings.